


The World is Full, Yet I Never Felt So Alone

by LoveSkittles



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hiccup's trying his best, I don't know if this ends well, I'm a romantic at heart, Jack is Trying, Jack is gay in this, M/M, North is mean in this fic but only to the oc, Sandy just wants everyone to love one another, be kind, it probably will, mentions of depression, rapunzel & Merida friendship, this is my first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-12-02 18:52:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11515350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveSkittles/pseuds/LoveSkittles
Summary: You can choose right or wrong. You can even chose to go neutral. However, two of these paths leave regrets and guilt in their wake. Don't go for the most obvious one. It could easily be a trick.Kari is the most hated spirit ever to be created. And that's saying something when the boogie man turned dreams into nightmares. How she became so hated has gone down in history and has never been forgotten. The Guardians avoid her at all cost, The Big Four never even met her, and even the groundhog hides in his hole when she's around.She's invisible to humans and hated by everything else.It's causes a certain sense of loneliness to settle into her being. One that's been there for about three hundred years.But that loneliness is about to fade in the most amazingly crazy way.Lightening has struck a small apartment building and continues to strike places where kids are bound to be. This spirit seems to have no remorse for it's destruction. And everyone thinks it's Kari.Kari has to make the decision to either fight with the Guardians, or follow into a path that everyone had carved out for her.But how can you fight with someone when they hate every matter in your body?





	1. Thought I Was Doing Good

**Author's Note:**

> This story might be triggering in the future, but I really don't know. I will warn you in future chapters if it is, and I will also add tags to warn others in the future.

 

 

The city was bustling with people in every corner of the streets. Most was on the sidewalks, following human traffic wherever it went and other, more daring ones, fought across the streets even with cars zooming back and forth. Cars honked and moved passed speed limits in each way, making it a hazard to tell where to go and how you even got here. Sales people by the curbs of streets yelled out sale prices to others who mostly likely didn't hear. Kids fought against their parents hand prisons without tiring and their captures let out very rude gestures to those daring the streets. It was normal chaos for the living, normal life for city folks. Every now and then a visitor from wherever would try and join in, but couldn't find a place to fit in. They were too kind for the harsh New York streets.

A sweet young lass of about maybe twelve jumped in front of an oncoming vehicle and the mother rushed to him, but wasn't fast enough. A sigh came out of me as I quickly flew over and helped the boy with a shove back onto the sidewalk. The kid looked confused, the car stopped, and the mother yelled in happiness and then started to scream at the driver to watch where he was going. After watching humans for years on end, and especially in this new age, parents never faulted their kids of anything when there could be another possible suspect. What a way to teach your kids.

"You should have been paying attention to where you were going, dumb dumb." I knew the boy couldn't hear me, little less even know I was there, but it gets boring not speaking. "And mom, let your kid know he did something wrong so that he doesn't do it again, or else he's going to jump in front of a car again and I might not be there to save his punk ass."

It was against the law to curse if you were made by Manny, a.k.a. the man on the moon, but I like to live dangerously. Or why else would I be made of fire. Plus, if he really cared, he would have already got me sent to wherever spirit criminals go. Which I don't think is actually a thing that exists, but I have an active imagination. It would be cool to have though right? We could call it, 'The Chamber of Spirits'. Get it? Like Harry Potter?

I felt another huge sigh leave me. It gets so boring living day to day and everything is the same. Even when things change, it changes slowly. So slow that you don't even realize it until you stop and remember the past. Like how there use to be huts, not building made of metals and whatever else they use now. It's no longer rocks and sticks. It's lighters and cigarettes. The only thing that ever stayed the same is how people always try to rule over others. There's always someone commanding someone else. The way it happens has changed, but the principles have been the same. You do what the big guy says, even when you think it's wrong. It's how every society works, even in the spirit realm.

But here, there's only one voice we always listen too. And it's not Manny, even though he made us. He's more like a guiding parent that has favorites. The real boss is North. Santa Claus. St. Nick. The big red marshmallow wearing guy with bad taste in tattoos. He runs everything. 

He always has a nice head on his shoulders, even when faced with troubling odds. He's a really super sweet man that loves kids and would quite literally die for one. Even one who doesn't believe in him. He gives gifts and never receives anything in return, but he never complains. He even took in four troublesome, but wholesome teens with issues. Honestly, he's just an all around great guardian. I might even call him the best if I didn't know better.

The only real problem I have is that he kind of hates me. For whatever reason, this guy can really hold a grudge. I mean, don't get me wrong, I would hate me too for what I did. But, this guy really had it out for me. I never really knew what pushed him so much to hate me as much as he does. Something tells me that I don't want to know.

The soda can skidded from my foot as people walked through me. I hummed a song as I made my way down the street heading to my apartment. Well, technically it wasn't really mind, since I'm not alive. However, it is owned by the city and has been blocked off from people moving into it. I always thought it was because it was such a health problem to people if they tried to live in it. It had mice and rats everywhere and it had caught fire so much (not by my doing, druggies are idiots) that there was a constant smell of charcoal. As much as this place creeped me out, it was the only thing that I ever got close to owning besides the clothes on my back. It was home. More of home then any other place that I've been had at least. I wasn't about to lose it, not when it's where I felt safe to be.

I laid on the slightly burned bed, closing my eyes. Unlike the rest of the house, the burnt of this bed is by my doing. My powers always flare out when my dreams turn into nightmares. Thank god I could put out my own fire. That's how it works. If I make the fire I can put it out. If I didn't then I can't put it out. I can go through it and be fine, but I can't make it go away. It's just another downside of being made out of fire. At least I can still save people and kids from fires, it's about the only thing that I'm good at.

The moon shined brightly through the broken window, shining light on me but there was no sound from Manny. I watched as sand traveled through windows, reaching kids that laid inside. A small smile took home on my face as one strand of sand reached me making my eyes close. Sandy didn't always help me sleep. He couldn't, not when North was always with him. He kept trying though. He always gave me a break to my nightmares.

 

\------

 

Another day on the streets and I felt everything slowly turn. Today was one of those days where it went very slowly, almost where it felt like it was on purpose. It was rainy and muggy and all I wanted to do was go back home and curl up and sleep some more. However, something in my gut was telling me to keep myself awake. To keep going. So, with a groan and a roll of the eyes, I made my way down the street and kept an eye out for anything suspicious. Everything looked normal, even when everything was moving slower. There was rude people bustling along the city, buses making stops, taxis picking people up and sales people being ignored. Nothing's out of the order. But the feeling kept growing. The more I moved forward the more it grew. I never had a feeling like this before, at least not in years. Not since that day so long ago. It felt as if something was tearing at my insides. Crawling up my throat. I felt like I was about to go into action.

That's when I heard a scream. My head snapped quickly to the sound. There was smoke climbing from a building about a block or so away. There was lightning and thunder booming everywhere. People were running out, mothers carrying children, men struggling to breathe. I quickly flew to the building, entering in it through the front door. I counted how many people were coming out and looked at the ceiling wondering if it was going to fall anytime soon. It looked steady so I knew that the people coming down would have enough time to get out. I then went up the stairs listening and check each floor for people trapped. The ones I found I quickly removed things out of their way so they could escape. I held structure poles and ceilings up so that the could have enough time to leave. The building was quickly falling apart and I knew that I was running out of time. There was a strangled cry come from a room down the hallway. I carefully made my way towards it, making sure not to knock into anything. I didn't want to help along the process of this building collapsing. The cries were growing softer, the child losing against the smoke and heat. I hurried to where he was, curled up in a fetal position. I carefully picked him up, and carried him down five flights of stairs. The door that I came in from was crashing down and I knew that I couldn't come back in. I launched myself, covering the child with my body as the street impacted my shoulders and back. My head spun for an instance and a weight was lifted off of me. Once I regained my vision, I saw the child held in his fathers arms. There were tears running down his face. I slowly stood, back cracking, head tumbling and my heart racing. And I felt empty. A hollowness over taking me as the building fell to the ground. Watched as firefighters who were too late try to save what was left. Watched as they took the fire out. Watched as they dug through the ashes for those that I left behind. That I didn't save. That I let die.

I watched as another failure took place against me.

There was no fire burning in me. No amount of warmth that my body could produce that would chase these goosebumps away. I looked away from the new ghost that would haunt me in my sleep.

When I glance back up at the thundering sky, I saw confused green eyes. They filled with anger quickly when they recognize who she was. They blamed her without even knowing the truth. My face lifted up in a force smile as I pointed to the building with a shake of my head. Telling him without words that I didn't do this. That this wasn't my fault. That there was something else at play here then natural fire. He looked confused. We stared at each other for a while, my smile never leaving. With a shrug of the shoulders I turned away and left. Didn't look back once. Tried not to think of how pretty his eyes were. How handsome he was.

I think his name was Hiccup.

My stomach dropped. He one of The Big Four, the hot shots under the Guardians. If he was here, the others weren't far behind. I knew North would be with them. I knew he would assume it was me. And Hiccup could tell him it was. He saw me there and that's proof enough for them.

Fuck.

 

 

 

  


	2. Apartment Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry for the very late update. When I first wrote this I was in a pretty good place. Things were going great and I thought that I had time to write this. But, sadly, things started to happen and I got consumed with it and forgot about this. I am really sorry, but hopefully now I would have time to write more on this. I won't promise that it will be weekly, but I'm going to go for every two weeks at best. School is starting up again and it's going to take my time. I am really sorry, but I'll try my best.

 

 

The room was filled with laughter as the Big Four and North rested after a hard day of protecting children and getting things ready for Christmas. The world around them was quiet in peaceful, causing their commotion to echo through the silent hallways. The walls shook at North's laughter and they laughed even more at that. Hiccup was resting against Toothless with a smile on his face as he watched the others enjoy their selves. He was quieter than the others, his imagination running of at times dragging him from the conversation. The others didn't pay mind to it. They were use to his distant at times, knowing that he was just planning another invention.

"I can't believe you actually fit it in the home without any magic!" Jack leaned against the balcony's railing. "It seems so impossible. "

"Aye, it was." North's rich Russian accent filled the place. "I had to call Bunny to help shove the thing into the door. We- mostly bunny - almost woke up the parents and children a couple of times trying to work that kayak into the house. Without my magic, it couldn't get into the living room with ease. However, we got it done and I was on my way back north. I was very thankful the night was over and so was Bunny."

Merida laughed, "What child wants a kayak for Christmas?"

"Kids always wish big, both in the literally and theatrical sense."

"That's why do our job. So they can stay wishing big." Rapunzel's bright smile lit up the room. The others agreed with her as they told stories of their most ridiculous times. Hiccup told them about how he first tried to put a saddle on Toothless, Jack on how he used to play with his sister, Merida told them about her adventure with the triplets, and Rapunzel told them what her and Eugene did when a child was mistakenly told that they were their parents. The air was filled with cheer and joy. But of course things like that cannot last long. The floor lit anew with a shinning light that focused on one part of the room. Everyone grew quiet. Normally when this light joined them, they were happy to see it. It was only Manny, the Man On The Moon. He was the creator of the guardians and of the Big Four. However, the air was filled with tension as he joined them.

"Manny, what is it?" North's voice was strong even when he felt a shiver rush through him. Manny did not respond right away. His light grew brighter as the room grew dimmer when compared to it. When he did respond, his voice was strung together with sounds of grievance and despair.

" _Lightening and Thunder will rage before Earth. Fire will spread out to escape over ashes that have not been cleared. Darkness will fall upon those who hold those ashes dear and light will rain upon those who see into the fire with reverence. To clear the fire, you who see reverence will need to clear the ashes that fire tries to escape. Perseverance will come when this has been done._ "

A deadening silence covered the room, showering the five of them in fear. North's eyebrows were furrowed as he brought his hand to his belly, a twist in it. Hiccup crossed his arms as is to guard his thoughts. Before either of the five in the room could speak, a hole opened up in the middle of the room. Bunnymund jumped from the hole breath racing and ears twitching.

"There's been a fire in New York. Children have been killed."

 

 

\------

 

 

Hiccup raced to the site, worry filling his features. The rest of the Big Four and the Guardians followed a distance behind. Hiccup was terrified of what could of caused the fire after hearing that ominous message from Manny. Everyone was left on edge after hearing the fate and all felt the horrors to come on their shoulders. Toothless flew fast, passing through clouds as if he was part of the air. Hiccup's mind raced with thoughts. What did Manny mean when he said reverence? How could anyone respect the what's killing the kids? He shook his head, running a hand through it.

When he arrived at the site, he saw the remnants of the building collapse on itself. He yelled out a curse in frustration. He was too late. Too late to save who was undoubtedly left in the building. He was about to reach for his sword when his eyes met orange irises. The breath in his lungs left him as he realized who it was standing there staring at the building. Anger coursed through him as her name floated to his mind. Kari. The spirit of fire. Known for what she had done four hundred years ago when she had burned down a village. No one knew what the reason for it was, but they knew she did it on purpose. And now she burnt down a building, killing children that were inside. Just as Hiccup was about to charge at her, those orange irises raised up to meet his. He paused in his endeavors. In those irises held confusion and much sadness. Something that no purpose killer would hold. Then those emotions faded, replaced with a cold and hard stare. A smile that was obviously forced spread upon her cheek. Hiccup watch in confusion as she waved at him as if they were friends. She then pointed to the building and shook her head as if trying to convey something to him. Then she shrugged and turned around and left. The thought to go after her crossed Hiccups mind; However, he didn't dare move.

He landed when the others arrived, all watching as the firemen put of the fire. Cries filled the air as those mourned who was lost or who was found.

"Who could have done this." Tooth spoke sadly, her shoulders slumped with grief. "Who would purposely kill innocent people?"

Hiccup stayed silent. Something refused to let him speak about seeing Kari. North answered in an rough voice. "Some one we have to stop from harming more."

There was a pause in the group. Bunny started towards the now ashed building. "Let's try and find some clues that could possible lead us to who. No need to be thinking of why just yet."

"Alright," North scratched his beard. "Let Toothless and Hiccup search for clues outside. The rest of us will search inside for clues. Everyone be careful and do not take any risk. We already lost much tonight."

Everyone heeded North's words as they made their way to where they were suppose to go. Hiccup walked around the place with toothless next to him. He knew what he would find since he knew what he saw, He went to where he saw Kari standing and saw where her bare feet touched the ground. There was an ashy print of her foot, leading it to the street he saw her leave on. Hiccup drew out a sigh. There was a war between he head and heart. They fought over what to do as he looked back at the building. He watched as North looked through the rubble with his eyebrows set in grim determination. There was a gloomy emotion on his face. His shouldered were set stiff, postured seemed rough and his eyes held an unknown emotion in them. Hiccup knew he should tell him what he saw. He knew it would make things easier on him. Hiccup also knew who he would blame with that information. And for some reason Hiccup didn't like that. There was an immoveable thought in his head that stopped him from charging at her. Stopped him from telling the others. It said that what he saw, wasn't all there was to it. That there was more going on. And he didn't want to provide information that could be misleading. So, to settle his heart and brain, he decided to only show them the footsteps. He wasn't going to tell them about who they belonged to.

"North, I think you should get over here. I found something."

North's head raised as he motioned the others to follow him. He made his way towards Hiccup with wide steps. "What did you find, Hiccup?"

"Footsteps that lead over to another street. I think it could be whoever caused this fire." His heart clenched.

North's face lit up a little as he started at the foot trail. "Good job, Hiccup. This could lead us to who did it."

"I already checked how far they go, but the trail ends pretty quickly. The ashes on h-their foot must have rubbed off."

"But it still shows the direction that they went in. It'll be enough for now."

The others joined them, all with hard faces. Rapunzel twirled her hair in her hand as she thought to herself. "I found a set of hand prints. They stood out against a wall that had collapse. I don't think it was a forceful set, it was barely there, like they had brushed against it."

"Are the prints big?" North rubbed her shoulder in comfort. Rapunzel seemed as if she was going to cry.

"No." Her voice went soft. "They were about the size of mine."

There was an uneasy twist in Hiccups stomach. He knew that they might piece it together. That Kari would be figured out. Bunny rubbed the back of his head casting a worried glance at North. Hiccups heart dropped as he spoke.

"We only know of one girl who can control fire, North. And this seems to match what has happened before..." Bunny trailed off.

"Yes, it seems as if Kari has decided to come out of her hiding spot." North's voice was tight, hard and his body went hard as he spoke her name. "Let us go back to my place. We shall speak more there."

Everyone went back to the sleigh and Bunny left through his hole. Hiccup was about to mount Toothless when he heard a strange conversation. Looking up he saw a father and son embracing each other in happiness. The father was crying as he held his son close, telling him he was so happy that he was okay. The son drew back s little so he could speak to his dad. His voice was scratchy, probably from the inhalation of smoke.

"Dad, someone saved me." The father looked confused. The child spoke more. "I felt their heat, dad. I felt someone hold me close and got me out of the building."

"Tyler, there wasn't anyone there. You got yourself out, honey." Tyler shook his head fiercely. His face growing determined.

"Dad I swear on all my toys that there was someone who got me out."

The dad only shushed him and rock him back and forth once again. They father remain oblivious to the child's inner turmoil as he realized his father didn't believe him. Hiccup did though. He knew that the kid was telling the truth. Hiccup didn't know why he believed the kid, he only knew that there was a voice in him saying that it could have been Kari who saved the child.

Hiccup left in a hurry to catch up with the others. The child's words still knocking in his brain.

 

 

\------

 

 

It was nearing the ending of the meeting that North was holding. The room was big and filled with a giant table and many chairs. Everyone was sitting down as Tooth explained something to them. She had brought back the teeth she could find of Kari, trying to see her memories. North believed that if they could understand her past, then they could see why she was attacking now. But Tooth could only find two teeth, barely enough to tell anything about her.

"There's nothing in her memories of who she was before she died that can explain why she is doing what she has done, North. There's only memories of her father and brothers, nothing else."

North slammed his fist on the table.

"There has to be something in there. There is no reason for her to be disappeared for years and then suddenly she burns down an apartment building with kids in it."

"Maybe she got bored and decided to use her powers again." Merida suggested.

"So, you're saying she did this for fun?" Jack asked. "My center is fun and what she did shouldn't cause anyone joy."

"Maybe she went insane after years of seclusion." Bunny said. His ears fell flat in his frustration of this meeting. Sandy silently sighed, resting his head on his hand besides Bunny.

"Or she wasn't the one who did it."

There was silence as Hiccups words cut through the tense air. North stared at Hiccup in hard confusion.

"What do you mean by that Hiccup? Who else could have done it? There is only one spirit who can control fire and she matched the size of the prints we found."

Hiccup knew what he said was true. But he also knew that there was clues that didn't add up either. There was clues of Kari's appearance there. And there were clues of somebody else being there too. Something wasn't sitting well with Hiccup.

"She may be the only one who can control fire. But she isn't the only one who can make it."

"Please explain."

"There's many spirits who can indirectly create fire with their power."

"Your saying it could be someone else?" North threw his arms in the air in befuddlement. "What you say is true, but there's only one girl who can create fire on her own. The prints we found there can only match a person who is either a small child or a woman. There is no child spirit, so Kari is the suspect by default."

"But the fire was wild, it wasn't controlled. If it was, then it would have lasted longer than it did!"

North slammed his fists on the table shaking the room in his anger. Everyone drew back in shock. "This girl burned down a village on purpose! She watched as people died of her doing! She didn't care how her fire spread then and she sure as hell doesn't care now! She did this Hiccup! There is no exceptions!"

A memory flashed before Hiccups eyes of his father tossing him inside a building and yelling at him. He put his head down, silently admitting submission. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife. No one spoke and no one dared to move. North's harsh breathing was the only thing that could be heard. Everyone watched as Tooth slowly stood up and smiled cautiously at North.

"We can discuss this later. Let everyone rest for tonight, it's been a long day."

North nodded his head slowly. Everyone hesitated before they began to leave. As Hiccup walked with the others out of the room, he watched as North sat down in the chair. His face was set and he looked deep in thought. Jack patted Hiccups shoulder bringing him out of his thoughts.

"North looked stressed already. I'm sure he didn't mean to let it out on you." Hiccups smiled at Jack, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'll get over it... but thanks Jack."

"Of course, buddy. I always got your back." He ruffled Hiccups hair as they continued down the hallway together. As they reached the end of the hall, Hiccup spotted Sandy standing by the windows.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you later." He spoke to Jack. "I just got to go talk to Sandy real quick."

Jack nodded and went on his way to his room. Hiccup headed over to Sandy. "Hey Sandman. Could I speak to you real quick?"

Sandy beamed at Hiccup and nodded his head.

"There's something that I got to tell you that you can't tell the others." Sandy looked concerned, but crossed his heart as if to promise. Hiccup took a quick look at his surrounding and made sure that no one was listening. He then took a deep breath in and out before he spoke.

"I saw someone there at the apartment site."

Sandy flew in the air, images of exclamation points over his head. Hiccup threw his hands up to try and calm him down.

"Sandy! Calm down! Let me explain!"

It took a moment before Sandy came back in touch with the ground.

"I got there before you guys did, you know? And I was about to land Toothless when I saw her standing there looking at the building. It was... Kari." Sandy blinked in surprised, but stayed quiet as Hiccup continued. "I was about to charge at her when she suddenly looked up at me. There was something in her eyes, Sandy. She looked really confused. There was a lot of sadness in there too, Sandy. She looked devastated. That's why I didn't go after her when she left. She didn't seem to be someone who had just... destroyed a building. Took some lives. That's why I kind of defended her in there. There was something off with it, like she was placed there on purpose. It was way to easy to find her prints. And Sandy, if she was so sad, why didn't she control it instead of letting it go all crazy? It doesn't make any sense. I mean nothing does! I don't even know why I feel so...so...against her being the one who did it.."

Hiccup took a breath in and shook his head. His hair fell in his eyes as he said, "I think she was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

When Hiccup looked back up at Sandy he was staring at him with understanding eyes. "Do you think she did it Sandy?"

Sandy shook his head. Hiccup blinked in surprise.

Images of a girl sleeping in a bed went above his head. There was sand going on above the girl as she slept, turning into pictures.

Hiccup understood. "You saw her dreams."

Sandy nodded. His face grew dark as he looked down.

"What's wrong?"

Images of North went above Sandy's head and then lead to and x over Kari's face.

"North hates Kari? It's pretty clear that he does, Sandy,"

Sandy shook his head and thought. He was trying to think of a way to express what he wanted to tell Hiccup. His face lit up as he thought of a way and he pointed his finger up. Images of a girl with long hair that covered her face went up over Sandy's head. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slowly opened.

Hiccup paused in confusion. "It looks like the girl from The Grudge."

Sandy nodded his head happily. Hiccup thought carefully, trying to piece it together.

"You mean North holds a grudge on Kari?"

Sandy nodded his head, popping his thumbs up in the air. That made North's behavior make sense.

"Do you know why North has this Grudge against her?"

Sandy frowned a little and shook his head.

"Oh."

What could Kari could have done that would have made North hate her so much? Enough that it lasted for hundreds of years? He got that what Kari did was really messed up and he understood peoples dislike to her, but for North to hold a grudge that long was crazy. He was Santa Claus. A guy that gave out lots of chances out to people and never seemed to hold peoples past mistakes against them. Just like he did with Jack. It didn't make sense.

Suddenly, Sandy was nudging his arm. Hiccup looked at him and saw images moving to fast for him to catch.

"Woah, Sandman. Slow down, I can't see."

Sandy bent his head down as an apology and reshowed his images slower.

Images of Kari's face came first before an image of a house came up. Then Sandy pointed at himself then the house.

"You know where she lives?"

Sandy nodded. Hiccup smiled at the yellow man.

"Then let's go get the others. We should see if we can find her there."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you enjoyed it!!!!! Please leave some feed back if you want and thank you so much for the kudos that were already left on here!


	3. Greenland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've fixed the mistakes I could find, but if you see any then feel free to tell me. I hope you enjoy!

My stomach was twisting in knots. Hiccup saw me. He saw me there. How could I be so stupid? I should have left as soon as the building collapse, should have disappeared already. I shook my head, trying to clear my head of these thoughts. 

I need to focus. I need to leave New York. I reached my burned apartment swiftly. The floorboards creaked as I ran all over it to gather my stuff. Where could I go now? Where haven’t I’ve gone before? Where would be safe for me? If I go anywhere, I’d have to go somewhere where they wouldn’t expect me to be. Somewhere I haven’t been. But most of the places I haven’t been are where the big four lives, or the guardians.

Lifting up the small bag of stuff I own, I ran a hand through my hair and closed my eyes. A shaky breath left my lips as thoughts raced through my head. This is too much, there’s so much going on. I can’t run away forever, I’ve been doing that for hundreds of years. Now it feels like everything is catching up with me. And it’s crushing. My lungs hurt and feel like every breath is forced. My heart is heavy with the weight of knowing what's to come. There’s no escaping what's happening, no way of working it through. I’m going to get caught. I’m going to have to face them. 

But...I can deny some time until I have to. 

I opened my eyes, a new fierce determination in them. 

I’ll have to go back to where it all started.

Greenland.

 

 

 

\------

 

The airport was packed with people. Thank god I could move through the masses with ease since I could just float through them. I quickly moved my way passed families to reach the signs. I searched for Greenland and picked the closest time. Two hours away. It’s two am now, and it’ll be a five-hour flight there, I could be there by ten o’clock here. It’ll be about twelve o’clock in Greenland then when we should land. That’ll give me some time to find a place to stay and rest for a while. 

I bit my lip. 

This could work. I can make this work. I just need to be quick when I get there. I could do this. I looked back up to the board to see where it told us where we would landing. Saalu, Greenland. The town right next to Aalari. My village. The start of everything. 

Memories flashed before my eyes. The tall mountains, snow-covered paths. Children playing outside a hut, a girl with blue eyes staring at the river. Snapshots of the life before I was a spirit came rushing through my head. A mother and father figure laughing and dancing with one another as their kids watched them with fascination. A boy tugging at an arm and pointing to the cool river in summer. The footsteps pushed into snow as someone trudge along a snow covered pathway. Mountains in the distant. 

Then came the blurry ones. The ones that I can’t decipher if it came before or after I became a spirit. A man pushing his kids out of the house with fear in his eyes. The kids screaming and reaching towards something that was within. It seemed as if they were reaching out towards me. Then the memory changed to one that made my heart stop. It felt as if someone was looking down from a higher place. They were watching a huge giant wave of fire crash across the village. People ran in terror, trying to escape the flames. But nothing could stop them from dying. 

The person watched, never reacting to the screams of pain and grief, as people died. It felt cold and lifeless. As if the person was already dead. As if they just didn't care.

I shook my head trying to chase away these thoughts. They’ve always haunted me. They showed up on a day, years ago and they never left. I don’t know what they mean, or what was happening. When they first started to appear, I did everything I could to try and decipher them. However, every time I tried, I would start to have a panic attack and shut off for awhile. I think the blurry ones might have come before the incident, but I’m not sure. There’s just so many things that I am unsure of. 

Like how I can’t even remember why I became a spirit or even when I became a spirit. All I have are small memories from before, and I don’t really know what happened after. The earliest memory I have from after I became a spirit is of me waking up one day soaking wet in a river. Everything was blurry in my eyesight and it took a few minutes before it cleared up. My head was banging and my breath was heavy as I tried to stand up. I didn’t know who I was or where I was at. Nothing made much sense to me. I remember looking around me and seeing woods. And it wasn’t until that night when Manny told me my name. But he never spoke to me again since. And I never tried speaking to him. My first memory doesn’t tell me much at all. And it doesn’t tell me anything about why my power is fire. I mean, I woke up in water. Shouldn't my power be water or something if I had drowned? 

Like I said. Nothing makes any sense. 

I got shocked out of my thoughts as a voice came over the intercom. “Flight to Greenland leaves in thirty minutes. Please start to make your way there.” 

I made my way into the airplane and sat in the back where the flight attendances worked. It was cramped in the corner I was in, but I didn’t have to worry about having people go through me constantly. It was a bit unsettling, even after years of dealing with it, when someone goes through your body. It’s a reminder that I don’t actually exist. 

People worked constantly throughout the flight, and all I did was rest my head and closed my eyes to rest. There really wasn’t anything else I had to do.

 

\------

 

 

 

Greenland was cold. Which was good, it helped chill my skin. I always liked staying at colder places since my body was always burning. It was relieving to my skins heat if I stayed somewhere cool. I’ve been from Antarctica to Alaska and Canada.

I huffed out a breath as I looked around the place I came from. The ‘village’ now a small town, was empty as if nobody lived here at all. There were only one major store and a few other necessities stores around it. I could see two people at the major store and they both worked there. It was very small, only having about maybe twenty houses total. There was snow everywhere, covering every house and path. The houses were old, but really pretty. 

It once again brought up memories of before and after becoming a spirit. My shoulder dropped a little as my eyes grew to sadden. 

I was a small girl when this happened. My tiny hands came into view as I gripped onto the tree branch in glee. My jolly laugh echoed around me as my eyes sparkled at the boy above me. His blonde hair and blue eyes matched mine. He reached his hand to me and lifted me up towards him. My arms wrapped around his shoulder to balance me as I sat next to me. Our legs swung in sync and our voices carried a conversation I cannot remember. The words fell on my ears in blurs and muffles. I remember feeling that he was loved by me. That I loved him, but it wasn't romantic. I never felt family love before, but it would be what I imagined it would feel like. His eyes looked at mine and felt like home. 

The memory changed into another one. This one felt more sinister and threatening. A man, who I never saw in any other memory, loomed over me with a crooked smile. His bright eyes and a brown body were largely greater than mine, covering my whole space. I felt nothing as he touched my cheek and dragged his eyes down to my jaw. I didn't shiver, but I feel now that I should have. His eyes held something like a broken promise. And a strange sense of victory. Over what, I have no clue. The memory ended. 

I was sure that the first one was before. However, the second wasn't so clear. It could have been after, could be the reason why I am fire. But, it could be before, be another reason why I was who I was. I'm just so unsure as to what it is and what it holds. The man bothers me the most. I never saw him in any other memory I have now. He seems so random, so out of place. And that sinister feeling, that unnatural tint of his skin makes me feel like there's more to him than just a nightmare. His skin was like bark. It had creases and twist as a tree would have, green seemed to come out of his head and his nails. His eyes were so gold, so sparkling. His outward appearance seemed good, but I felt an inner power that was all too powerful. 

I shook my head, breaking myself out of my thoughts. I need to find a safe place to stay tonight before they come for me. And I knew they would. I had left a message, written in the dirt on the floor of the apartment. I knew they would find where I lived eventually since Sandy knew where I was. I had written Greenland, that should be enough for North to know exactly where I was. It might have been stupid, but I also know that all of this hiding and running would have to end soon. I had done it for centuries, it's time for me to face the rain. 

The sky grew dim as the sun fell down against the sky. I watched the sunset, feeling for the first time slightly hopeful for what was to come. Suddenly the sky turned dark completely, too fast for it be natural. The hair on the back of my neck rose as s sinking feeling hit my chest. A drop of water touched my cheek, rolling down to my neck. I looked up at the sky as lightning crashed into the clouds. Thunder soon followed. Then lightning struck the ground, shaking the ground around me. More followed, and my eyes squinted. It seemed too controlled, to precise. Flames bloom across the ground and my heart lurched. It was too wet outside for a fire to catch, it shouldn't be possible. My heart race as I saw the flame slowly closed on a row of houses. I heard screams of the families inside as they saw the death flower coming towards them. Adrenaline shot through me as I felt my flames spark in wild anger. My body lifted as I raced to the house, quickly flying inside. 

I saw an old couple trying to hobble out of the house, but their legs weren't strong enough. I quickly picked each of them up, using my heat to push against their body heat, causing enough friction between my flame and their heat to lift them up. Since I can't technically touch them, I have to think of other ways to lift someone. It was how I got the kid out of the apartment fire. They struggled, shocked that a force was lifting them. I rushed each of them out. I quickly did the same to the families in the other houses, pushing my heat against theirs to raise them up and move them. Once I got them a safe distance away, them looking around in confusion, I watched in frustration at the fire destroying their houses. How was I suppose to stop it? I cant control a fire that wasn't my own creation. 

It then hit me. That's it. I can control my own fire, my own creation. I need to fight fire with fire. I lifted my hands and created a line of fire that went to the length of the other fire. I fought against it, pushing mine so that it consumed the other fire. It was a hard process, the other fire never seems to end. My body was shaking as the fire finally went out. I quickly released mine, extinguishing it. 

I heard shouts and murmurs around me, the unexplainable occurrence echoing across the small town. The rest of the small town had come out to see what had happened and to help the people affected. The all seemed panicked, some speaking witchcraft. The old couple shouting that they were saved by an angel, by an angel of God himself and oh how wonderful powerful he was. Some called them crazy, but others confirmed their story and said that it happened to them too. 

None of this bothered me as my eyes caught movement in the corner of my vision. A black figure floated in the air, seeming to stare in my directions. A breath left my chest as black irises met mine. They held nothing as they stared at me. 

Oh my god. 

Holy shit.

It was Blake. The spirit of storms. The only spirit that was as close to a friend that I ever got before he disappeared. He turned around and I quickly blasted towards him. He sensed me coming, quickly flying away from me and making zigzags in the sky. I sped through the air, reaching out to him, my hand almost reaching his black boot. A hand suddenly slapped me across the face making me spin out of control. He had hit me so hard that my vision was blurry. 

Once my eyes focused, he was nowhere to be seen. I felt anger and confusion bubble up in me. But I knew I had to get out of here, he could come back to finish me off. I quickly looked around to see if there was anywhere I could go. My eyes spotted a mountain not far off. I quickly searched for a cave at my advantage point. I found one on the side of the mountain, facing the town. A river came in front of it about 300 meters away. I flew to the cave, thoughts racing through my head. 

Why the hell was Blake setting fire on a small village, especially my birthplace? And didn't it storm before the apartment fire, too? Was he the one who set fire to it? Why would he do any of this, he's never done anything like this before? Nothing makes any sense. 

And I had a feeling that nothing would for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the supper late update, I have most of the story planned, I just can never find the time to update. But I hope you enjoyed it! I worked hard ont this.


	4. The Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's pretty much the big four and guardians trying to find Kari and some of them figuring things out about the fire spirit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope that you enjoy this and I hope that I did a lot better on this chapter then the last one. I'm thinking of redoing chapter three, you know putting in more details and correcting any mistakes I've made. You will see more interaction between the big four and guardians. You'll see their views on the situation and how some of them came to it.

    I slept through the night twisting and turning. The cave floor beneath me was hard, rough and had a lot of sharp bumps. My eyes remained shut through the ordeal, thankfully letting me get some sleep. When I finally got up, my whole body ached and seemed to scream at me for picking the worst spot to sleep. I cracked my back and stretched trying to push some soreness out. It worked some, but there was a small throb rubbing my head. I didn't know how to fix that.

    Now, I was making a plan of action when The Big Four and Guardians will come and get me. I'll have to play it cool, act as if I'm someone they can approach. Maybe if I seem comfortable seeing them then they'll be more relaxed around me. That's dumb. To them I burned down an apartment, and when they get here and see the village, they're going to think that I burned down half of Aalari. They wouldn't hesitate in putting me in cuffs and dragging me to the Pole.

    I closed my eyes and let out a soft groan of frustration. I don't see any way that I can peacefully come up to them without a full on freak out from the Big Guy. North has always had it out for me more than the others. He wouldn't accept me trying to speak to them nicely. And there's no way that I'll do it violently, that's out of the question.

    All I really can do is wait until they show up and go with the flow. A sudden nauseous feeling came through me at the thought of that. I'm fire, going with the flow is something I know how to do. But going through the flow with North around is going to be tricky. The last time I tried that with him -

    I swallowed.

    That won't happen again. The others will be there, they won't like seeing that side of him. He'll hide it from them. Unless... they'll join in on it with him. I shook my head pushing the thoughts to the side the best I could.

    I jumped out of my skin and a scream came out as a pebbled hit the side of my shoulder. I covered my mouth and stared down at the pebble before laughter bubbled through me. It was just a pebble, everything is fine. I got up from sitting by the edge of the cave wall and started to walk over to my stuff. A creaking sound echoed through the cave and I froze. I looked around, searching for what cause the noise. Then the walls started to rumble, the floors started shale and the cave was making this awful croaking sound. My breath caught as my instincts took over me. I quickly ran to my stuff, trying to grab everything I could. The cave shook and croaked and I watched in horror as gigantic rocks fell down from the ceiling.

    "Shit. Oh shit." Flinging everything together, I sprinted out of the cave. I felt scratches along my back, my feet tumbled under the shaking ground. My breath came out in pants as I ran to the mouth of the cave. I made it outside just as the whole cave collapsed. I jumped onto the dirt and grass, covering my body as sharp rocks hit my arms. I whines a little at the pain it caused. Once the shower of rocks stopped falling, I slowly raised myself up. My limbs were shaking and my breath was quick as I stared in fear of the cave. The mouth of the cave was covered with rocks, all crumpled and broken off from one another. My arm was throbbing from getting hit by a pretty good size rock.

    What the hell? What happened? How? It was a perfectly strong cave. I don't understand how the whole cave can just collapse in one whole go and not give any sign of it beforehand. That just doesn't happen naturally.

    Naturally.

    The hairs raised on the back of my neck and my skin prickled. I was being watched. A tightness grew in my stomach as I looked around. All I saw was trees. Nothing and no one else. I looked up and there was nobody there. My hands twisted into fist as anxiety ate up my nerve endings. I had to get out of here. Now.

    I put my head down, kept my eyes focused solely on what was in front of me. I had a sinking suspicion that I was being followed. My eyes never strained from being put forward. Going to the river was probably my safest bet, I could follow it back to town. It wasn't safe for me to fly right now, not how it would cause even more attention to be drawn on myself.

   

    Whatever happened back there wasn't natural. Something made that happen. And whatever it was... almost killed me.

       A chill ran through me.

 

 

 

**The Big Four/ The Guardians View**

    North's head throbbed as worry filled his mind. Kari was bad news. His belly twisted at every thought of her. He wondered why she had shown up again in the world. Couldn't that monster stay hidden? He wondered to himself. She had nothing to offer this world besides destruction and pain. A groan rumbled through the big man. His face went taut.

    His eye's met the moon outside his window. "Why is she back, Manny? Couldn't she have just disappeared forever?"

    Manny had no answer for him.

    There was a sudden series of knocks on his door. North turned and took big strides to open it. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. There stood Sandy and Hiccup. Both had serious faces.

    "What is it? What has happened?" North asked in concern. The two shared a look before answering.

    "I know, well actually Sandy knows, where Kari lives." Hiccup spoke quickly. "He read her dreams once and remembers where she lives."

    Joy rushed through North and he picked up his old friend in pure happiness. "Oh my friend, why didn't you tell me before?"

    Sandy silently laughed and made a picture of himself with a thought bubble suddenly pooping up above it.

    "You just remembered?" North asked amused. Sandy nodded his head. Hiccup cleared his throat, making eye contact with North. This seemed to snap North out of his spur and he placed Sandy back down.

    "When do we leave to go?"

    North bit his lip, frustration building up in him. He'll love to go now before she could have more time to escape. But everyone was already exhausted from today's events. They needed rest. Especially when going against a dangerous spirit such as Kari. "We sleep tonight. Then we go follow her track."

 

 

    The next morning was hectic. Everyone was trying to grab anything they needed for the search for Kari. Once the others heard that Sandy knew her whereabouts, they blasted off in every direction trying to get ready. Everyone knew that the more time they wasted, the more chance she had of escaping.

    As everyone rushed around, Hiccup found himself lagging a bit behind. Dread was twisting in his stomach. Something in him went against the thought of Kari being caught. He couldn't explain why he felt so compelled that she was innocent. All the evidence, but some, pointed towards her. Orange eyes, wide with confusion and sadness, ran through his head. He's seen the eyes of those who destroy or killed with joy. Her eyes held nothing of the maliciousness those killers did.

    Hiccup shook his head. He needed to hurry up and get done getting ready. His hands moved fast as he shoved his helmet on. Toothless nudged him a little, green irises asking if he was okay.

    "Don't worry about me, Bud. Just thinking to myself." He patted Toothless before mounting him. "Let's go find the others."

    When they reached the others, they had already be outside in the cold frigid air. North gave me a slightly disappointed look while the others had more nervous expressions. Everyone was on edge because of Kari. Fire was a dangerous power to have. Nobody spoke when North raised a snow globe in the air and threw it in front of them. They hurried through and Hiccup followed closely behind.

     The world around him twirled around and disorientated him for a split second before it all stopped. The Guardians and Big Four all stared at the damaged apartment building. The brown walls had seen better days and the windows were cloudy. There was suspicious looking people around the building. One of them was taking a leek on it. Rapunzel cringes back a little in her seat. She anxiously twisted a piece of long hair around her finger.

    "It doesn't look so ... friendly." 

    Merida scoffed and shook her head. "It's about as unfriendly as it can get." 

    "I have to agree with them, North." Tooth spoke. "You sure this is where she lived?"

    "Sandy says this is the place." North's voice held no argument. He then turned to Sandy, who jumped at the sudden attention. "Tell us the room number, please." 

    Sandy nodded and made a capitalized A and a number 4. They headed in to look for room A4. They walked in the cracked hallways of the poor excuse of an apartment building in disgust. Jack crinkled his nose at an odd looking stain at the bottom of a wall. Bunny cleared his throat when a rat scurried across the floor. "This place is very unappealing." Tooth agreed. Finally, the team reached A4 and everyone let out a breath of relief. 

    "Finally, I thought that this hallway would never end." Jack muttered. North laughed and opened the door. His laughter died in his throat. The walls of the room were black and had gross looking spots spread in random places. The floor was cracked and had a lot of odd looking marks on it. The window was opened and the once white seams around it have now turned into a sour looking black. Hiccup frowned when he saw all of this. They all walked in slowly, careful to where they place their step. Bunny shut the door behind them. 

    "This is..." Bunny poked the burnt wall in distaste. "A disaster." 

    "Couldn't have agree more, Bunny. It's very small, too." Merida bent down to look at a weird looking... thing. "What do you suppose this is?"

    Tooth grimaced and shook her head. Her wings were flapping to help keep her feet off the ground. "It's a bed."

    Merida cringe and walked away from it. "Gross. She burnt up the whole place."

    "It's sad." Rapunzel's voice shook a little. "That she'll treat her home this way." 

    "Maybe she didn't view it as a home. Just a place to stay." Jack inquired. Hiccup stayed quiet through the exchange. His eyes met Sandy's for a minute and then they looked away. North huffed as he searched the place. His thick brows furrowed in thought and he rubbed his naughty tattoo. 

    "Pick an area and search through it. Check under floorboards and walls also. We need to be thorough." Everyone nodded at North's declaration. Sandy had flown to Hiccup's side right away making Jack back up a little in surprise. It was usually him and Hiccup that paired up together. Bunny nudged Jack's shoulder. 

    "Looks like it's me and you, Frost." Bunny stared at Sandy with an odd look. The bunny and teen shared a look before walking away from the odd pair. Hiccup and Sandy had chosen the bed, mostly since everyone else had decided not to even come close to it. The bed was in very bad shape. It was burnt beyond repair, much like the apartment around it, and had an odd odor to it. Sandy bent down an reached under the bed. He then pushed it to it's side. Hiccup and Sandy froze. Long nail like scratches littered the floor around it. Deep looking cuts that looked painful. A chill ran up through both of them. Hiccup cleared his throat, a deep concerning frown upon his brow. "What is this? Sandy, what does this mean?"

    Sandy's golden eyes shimmered darkly. He made a face of the boogie man above a picture of a girl sleeping. Hiccup understood right away. The marks were caused by nightmares. Suddenly, Rapunzel's voice shouted through the room. 

    "I found something North!" North ran to her side quickly. Whatever he saw washed his face of color. Everyone crowded around him, trying to get a peek at what he saw. Hiccup was confused. Written there on the floor, marked in a nasty layer of ash was the word, _'Greenland.'_ What was so special about that? Bunny seemed to be catching onto something slowly understanding why North went still.

    "She went back home."

    "What do you mean?" Jack asked. "She doesn't have a home."   

    Tooth's eyes widen in realization. "She used to though. Before she burned it and the village around it."

    It went silent.

    Oh, Hiccup thought, she went back. A deep twist punched his gut.

 

 

    The ride to Greenland was filled with worried remarks. Everyone was on edge. How could she go back? Why would she write her location for them? Were they heading for a trap? Is she going to harm them when they find her? The questions were left unanswered. Nobody could figure out why she had given them her location. It didn't make any sense. If she wanted to be caught, why not just stay in her apartment? Why did she run all the way to Greenland? Hiccup closed his eyes. He couldn't understand what was running through her head. He rubbed Toothless in hopes of calming himself a little. A seed of doubt crawled through him. What if it really was a trap? What if she really did set those fires and he was just being stupid? He shook his head, once again trying to calm himself. Innocent until proven guilty, he reminded himself. Plus, he wasn't the only one who thought that way. Sandy had stayed by his side throughout the whole ride. They shared a sense of comrade for one another since they were the only ones who believe she has a chance of being innocent. But Hiccup wondered. Jack had been silent the whole ride and unnerving thing for one who spoke out so much.

    Jack's shoulders were hunched as he stared off across the frozen forest of Greenland. In his hands he held a curious photo of a family. It was one of those commercial families you'd see on signs of stores. Nothing too special. The photo was crinkled as if it had been held a lot. It had some wet marks. Jack thought they were tear marks. He found it at Kari's apartment. It had been mashed under her floorboards. As if she had tried to hide it. 

    He was beginning to think that Kari hadn't done it. And he knew he had to keep it to himself. He knew there was something about Kari that brought a darkness over North's eyes. He's seen it ever since her name was first brought up. He could feel and odd feeling from North that felt dangerous. If he brought it up that she might be innocent, North might explode on him like he did with Hiccup.

    Hiccup.

    Jack turned slightly and watched as Hiccup whispered to Sandy. Hiccup brought up that she might be innocent back at that meeting. Maybe, they're sharing the same feeling towards Kari's possible innocence. He'll have to ask him later, when it was just them. Then Hiccup's green eyes met his and there was something skin to understanding in them. Jack nodded at him. 

    "We've reached Aalari- What in the world?" North's cry caused everyone to bolt up and look at the town. Tooth gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Half of the town was burned. The town's people were already rebuilding and some kids played around them. "I guess we are too late. Kari has already done her work." 

    The dark tone of his voice sent shivers down Hiccups spine. It felt too void of emotion for such a jolly man. The sleigh gently placed down on the ground. Everyone climbed off and walked towards the burnt up houses. North walked up to the house that was in the middle. It had dark scratches against the walls and odd markings that looked like ivy twining around it. The window were shattered and some were left just cracked. The roof had disappeared completely. A group of men walked around the house carrying lumbar and talking amongst themselves. The team leaned towards the men to listen in. 

    "Can't believe everyone made it out safe." One man said as he wiped his brow. 

    Another laughed and shook his head. His laugh was odd. It didn't sound amused. "Even stranger was how the ground caught fire like that. The ground was too wet for the fire to spread like it did. It was strange."

    "I knew that lightning could catch anything on fire, but I've never seen something like that happen." The first man spoke. He stopped of a moment and the others followed suit.

    A smaller man shifted his lumbar on his shoulder. "Even stranger was how the storm appeared. Did you notice how it seemed to make a circle around the village?"

    "Nonsense, Bart, that's too..." The conversation was cut short as they continues onto their destination.

    Merida looked at North and scratched her head. "Lightning caused the fire?"

    North shook his head. "Maybe she is using the lightning as cover. You heard the man, it was too wet for lightning to catch like that. She could have just set fire to the village herself and used the lightning as an excuse." 

     Jack bit his lip as he hesitantly said, "Doesn't that seem far-fetched?"

    North swung around and gave a hard stare at Jack. "She set fire to this town once before, she could obviously do it again. It's not that far-fetched."

    Bunny agreed with North as he placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. "He's right Jack, no need to argue."

    Jack couched and shrugged trying to seem aloof. "I wasn't trying to argue, I just didn't make the connection was all. "

    Hiccup's brows were furrowed as he complemented whether he should state out his opinion or not. Sandy saw the struggle with the green eye teen and tugged at his shirt sleeve. Hiccup looked down and saw Sandy shake his head. Hiccup shrugged trying to ask, 'Why not?'. Sandy then pointed at North. North's face was darken over and his mouth was twisted into an almost sneer. Hiccup would have to stay silent. He's never seen a look like that on North's face before. And he didn't want to figure out what was behind it. Hiccup was abruptly cut off from his thoughts as screams pierced through the air. Hiccup's feet tumbled under him as the Earth began to shake with great velocity. The team cursed out of confusion and tried to grip on one another to gain more balance. Tooth went into the air to escape the shaking ground. A gigantic crackling sound echoed through the air scarring everyone below. Tooth's eyes watched as the cave on a mountainside seem to crumble before her eyes and she felt a twist deep in her stomach. Then the world around them grew silent once more. The world went on as it there was nothing out of the ordinary. The birds chirps and the river rushed as if nothing change.

    "What in the world just happened?" Bunny shouted. They all stared dumbfounded at one another. They stood in silence as the town's people shouted and scream. Tooth, who had saw what happen, pointed in the direction where the crackling sound came from.

    "I saw something happening over there, but just a little. I could barely see through the trees." A worried look flashed in her eyes. Here eyes were trained on the mountain, a dreadful feeling in her belly. The cave had closed in so suddenly. Something felt off about what just happened. She finally looked back at the team. "Let's go check it out. I'll lead us there."

    As soon as she finished her eyes caught movement. It was only a moment, but Tooth could have sworn she saw a bout of orange hair disappear into the trees besides the cave.

    "Tooth?", She jumped and turned to Rapunzel who stared at her with concern. She looked at the others who were all waiting on her.

    "Oh, right, sorry." Tooth swallowed. "I was just thinking."

    North followed Tooth on the sleigh as she made her way to whatever she saw. His belly had been nonstop twisting ever since they reached Aalari. He just wished he knew what Kari's plans were. It didn't bode well for him that she left them a clue. She must be up to something. These thoughts ceased as Tooth reached her destination. North set the sleigh down next to a pile of rocks.

    "It was a cave. I saw it before the quake happened." Tooth explained hurriedly. "When the Earth shook, the cave walls had crumbled around it collapse. It was strange, only this part of the mountain seemed to be affected."

    "Strange indeed," North muttered thoughtfully. It didn't make sense. Why did it collapse? He walked to the cave mouth and bent down picking up a strange stain-looking rock. North carefully touched the stain and immediately wiped his hands on his pants. The rock was still wet. "Someone was here. Look, Bunny."

    North handed the rock to Bunny, who sniffed it. "That's blood. Might have just cut them a little. Not enough blood there to be worst."

    Tooth fidget with her feathers before speaking hesitantly, "There is something else, North.

    North paused and stared at her, "What is it, Tooth?"

    Her voice was quiet as she said, "I saw someone fleeing from the scene. It was just a glimpse I wasn't sure until now that it was actually someone."

    "What did you see?" Hope bubbled in North.

    "I saw a glimpse of... orange hair."

   Just then a sound of drumming thunder echoed through the air. Merida shouted and Jack cursed as sounds of thunder cracked in the air around them. Sandy's eyes were wide as he pointed to the sky behind them. They all spun around to see dark clouds mysteriously forming a circle over a certain area. The clouds morphed out angrily and lightning hit the ground in odd places.

    "What the hell is happening?" Bunny screamed taking out his boomerangs. "A storm can't be created that fast! The sky was completely clear!"

    "It's probably what the towns people were talking about. About what happened last night." Something dawned on Hiccup. "Remember how one of the men said something of lightning appearing weirdly? How it seemed to circle around over there area? Maybe that's happening now."

    Jack nodded along with Sandy. They agreed, it made sense. It also tightens their beliefs that Kari was innocent. She couldn't control the weather after all. There was something else at play.

    "Whatever it is, it can't be good. Get prepared to fight. And Hiccup be careful and fly low. It is too dangerous for him to fly high." North commanded as he head towards the sleigh. Hiccup nodded and repeated the command to Toothless, gently patting his head. Toothless eyes held worry, but determination took over them.

    As they headed towards the thundering clouds a sinking feeling was felt between the three who believed in Kari's innocence. They knew what was over there could be the answers to their beliefs.

    Hiccup looked over to Jack and Sandy who were already looking at him. A thought passed between them. None of them knew why, but they held a fierce feeling of protectiveness over the fire spirit. It was unexplainable, except that maybe it wasn't. Right before they passed under the dark clouds, Hiccup had looked up, like he had so many times before in moments of confusion, to look at the moon in the daytime sky. Manny's light seemed to burn brightly before darkness overtook his vision. Manny had put the protectiveness there.

    It was an unexplainable occurrence. All of it was. But then words from what was prophesized before echoed through his head. _' ...light will rain upon those who see into the fire with reverence.'_

And he understood.

   

   

 

  

 

 

   

   

 

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about Sandy, I can't really think of clever ways of making pictures show what I want it to show. But thank you so much for the kudos you guys have already left me, I really appreciate it!! I hope you guys have a great new year and that this year will be amazing for you! And I had to rewrite this twice because my computer glitch and it didn't turn out exactly as I wanted it too, but I'll make do. Happy New Years guys!!!! I hope this year for you will be a good one. Thank you so much again for everything.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this, because I worked hard on it and this story has been bugging my mind for a long time and I only now got the push to do it. And sorry about all the mistakes and errors. I haven't edited it, but I'll try too soon. I just wanted this out there before I lose my mind over this story :/


End file.
